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Thanks Beach. I always appreciate and respect your advice. I totally agree with you about trains and planes. I actually haven't been looking in Vero because I need more going on like shopping, etc. I'm just used to being in a bigger city, and I already have concerns about the lack of shopping, etc., in PSL compared to what I was used to where my home was in the Orlando suburbs. Anyway, I posted a new thread earlier on this forum about Port St. Lucie's property taxes if you or someone could look at that and give me insight on that one. It's interesting that your parents live here so I bet you have a lot of knowledge on that subject, too, like you do pretty much everything. I'm in Port St. Lucie now and have been for a week, but I don't know for how much longer because of the property taxes. Hopefully you'll see that post that I did and give me your normal great advice.
I realized I put PCL vs. PSL in the title of that thread about property taxes in Port St Lucie. I've really been thinking a lot about your parents moving back to PSL. Obviously the taxes don't bother them, but I'm really curious if they've ever mentioned it. I really hope that I get some opinions on that thread about the property taxes because maybe it will give me some direction. A part of me thinks I should look to buy a home elsewhere even though I like PSL in many ways. In addition to the high taxes, fees, home prices and shopping issues, etc , I'd also have to wait too long to build in the community that I like so I should probably just accept that it's not meant to be and try to find another area in Florida that I like this much.
Are you looking out on the Island in Vero Beach, or on the mainland in Vero or elsewhere?
If mainland, be aware of the train tracks that run North-South, because in the future, 32 high speed passenger trains a day will go through downtown, & that creates vibration, noise, & mini traffic disruptions. I'd want to be at least 1 mile away from those tracks...& the futher the better.
I think freight trains will still use those same tracks, but when I last stayed there, I only heard freight trains at night and early morning...not during the day, but I just stayed for 1 month a few years ago.
Also, read the threads about airport noise. I'd want to be at least 1 mile from that too.
There are posters here that will poo poo both issues, & some realtors will not be transparent, so ask local residents who live in those zones, if you are looking to buy there.
For most people, our home is our biggest investment, so why take any risk?
Out on the barrier island, you don't have to worry about those things, except when you go grocery shopping across the bridge on the mainland. That is why I started looking exclusively on the island, which is zip code 32963.
Keep us posted on how your search is progressing. I think its a great area, that doesn't get much tourism, but has great uncrowded beaches & restaurants. There's a lot of wealth, but they are not flashy like you see in Miami, WPB, Ft. Lauderdale, or Boca...quite the opposite...very low key & under the radar.
32963 will very likely be my next stop, after I leave Southern Sarasota County. My parents were in Vero for a few years, but they moved back to St. Lucie West, to be closer to the PGA golf complex, retail, & restaurants that they like the most.
Are you a resident of Vero? If are not a current resident of Vero, let me give you my observations for you and the other poster since I reside in Vero.
If you are a resident of Vero, you must be aware of the problem of obtaining insurance on the island? You might want to read the below link. Anyone moving to the island had better consider self insurance for storms while carrying only a policy for fire and liability. This issue is a major problem for the majority of island residents who are not the very wealthy. Insurance on the mainland is also a problem for residents who have shingle roofs. Most of the insurers will not cover you if your shingle roof is more than 10 years old. Some of these residents are seeing their insurance jump from $1500-$2000 a year to over $4,000 -$5000 per year if they can obtain insurance. You might want to read the Vero Beach Facebook site to see how some mainland and island residents are suffering from the insurance increases. The below link gives some insight to the insurance issue on the island.
FYI the railroad runs north south from Jacksonville to the Miami area and is very close to the coast in most areas. It is an issue that most people on the east coast of Florida have come to grips with a long time ago. Brightline trains will only close the crossings for a few minutes while the freight trains are more disruptive due the lower speed and length. Freight trains have come to a complete stop at times blocking roads, Brightline will not cause the crossing to closed for more than a few minutes. There are mostly businesses located near the railroad tracks and the housing close by is not expensive for a reason. I doubt anyone moving to Vero would be interested in those areas. Anyone concerned about trains on the east coast of Florida should stay or look for housing on the west coast.
The airport is not very busy so there isn't a lot of noise say like the Sarasota airport. The main runway crosses over the island for landings and takeoffs. A section of the island probably has the most "problems" with noise. There are some very expensive homes in the landing path, but it doesn't seem to concern those residents. Again, it is a small airport with a low volume of traffic.
Also, if you are a resident you must be aware of the reconstruction of one of the two bridges linking the mainland to the island? Vero Beach was faced with the decision of closing the bridge for reconstruction. The city has decided to keep the bridge open with only one lane available for traffic. This process will last for four years and will cause unbelievable traffic conditions to and on the island. Temporary traffic lights are being consider so people living on the island will be able get in out of the homes during construction. There has been some construction on A1A this summer which had caused some major traffic jams. Residents have had a difficult time accessing their home off A1A this summer. One can only image the traffic problems on the island for the next four years and during the snowbird season. Also, the main electrical line providing the majority of service to the island will suffer interruptions due to the bridge construction. We are hoping that problem will last for only four years, but if we get hit with storms during the four year construction period, the construction time will be longer.
Again, this only the observation of one Vero Beach resident. I am sure others might have a different perspective. The growth of Vero is causing increased traffic congestion since I have relocated here, but that is something the residents will have to accept.
Last edited by Mr. Purple 2; 07-29-2023 at 07:37 AM..
I have been looking at Active 55 Communities in the Martin County section of PSL. There are some subdivisions of interest, you have to be cognizant of Insurance costs and Construction Materials on these homes. Concrete Block Structures and Barrell Tile roofs are key components. Year of construction is important too.
I get my questions answered here on a timely basis. There used to be some Realtors who were active on this forum....FlaLadyB was a very good poster. Would like to see more Real Estate Pros or Appraisers post on the PSL Forum.
Thanks Beach. I always appreciate and respect your advice. I totally agree with you about trains and planes. I actually haven't been looking in Vero because I need more going on like shopping, etc. I'm just used to being in a bigger city, and I already have concerns about the lack of shopping, etc., in PSL compared to what I was used to where my home was in the Orlando suburbs. Anyway, I posted a new thread earlier on this forum about Port St. Lucie's property taxes if you or someone could look at that and give me insight on that one. It's interesting that your parents live here so I bet you have a lot of knowledge on that subject, too, like you do pretty much everything. I'm in Port St. Lucie now and have been for a week, but I don't know for how much longer because of the property taxes. Hopefully you'll see that post that I did and give me your normal great advice.
My folks have not owned in this area for ~5yrs now, & when they did, they had a very low appraised value, stayed in the same home for 20+ yrs, so the high property tax rates were not an issue for them. They bought for $170k prior to 2000, & stayed until 2018. I don't think their prop taxes ever exceeded $3k.
I suggest comparing the property tax rates for St. Lucie, Martin, and Indian River Counties to see which is lowest. If I recall, back when I was considering this area, Martin was the highest, then St. Lucie, then Indian River. Anyone know how these 3 counties rank today in tax rate? I realize they make it tough to compare.
The shopping off St. Lucie West Blvd, is excellent. They have everything except high end retail. You'd have to go to down to Palm Bach Gardens for high end.
It sounds like Vero Beach would be too remote, and sleepy for you. The distance from Vero to I-95 provides Vero a nice buffer from tourists, but also makes it less exciting to live there.
In regards to IRC property evaluations, the below linked article dated June 15, 2023 provides some information.
The property valuation of IRC jumped $3 Billion from $23.3 Billion to $26.4 Billion or a 12.4% increase over the past year. Estimates are the property values are over $50 Billion with the Homestead Exception keeping the rate increase lower.
The below article also states that St. Lucie County has the highest property tax rate in the state of Florida.
Are you a resident of Vero? If are not a current resident of Vero, let me give you my observations for you and the other poster since I reside in Vero.
If you are a resident of Vero, you must be aware of the problem of obtaining insurance on the island? You might want to read the below link. Anyone moving to the island had better consider self insurance for storms while carrying only a policy for fire and liability. This issue is a major problem for the majority of island residents who are not the very wealthy. Insurance on the mainland is also a problem for residents who have shingle roofs. Most of the insurers will not cover you if your shingle roof is more than 10 years old. Some of these residents are seeing their insurance jump from $1500-$2000 a year to over $4,000 -$5000 per year if they can obtain insurance. You might want to read the Vero Beach Facebook site to see how some mainland and island residents are suffering from the insurance increases. The below link gives some insight to the insurance issue on the island.
FYI the railroad runs north south from Jacksonville to the Miami area and is very close to the coast in most areas. It is an issue that most people on the east coast of Florida have come to grips with a long time ago. Brightline trains will only close the crossings for a few minutes while the freight trains are more disruptive due the lower speed and length. Freight trains have come to a complete stop at times blocking roads, Brightline will not cause the crossing to closed for more than a few minutes. There are mostly businesses located near the railroad tracks and the housing close by is not expensive for a reason. I doubt anyone moving to Vero would be interested in those areas. Anyone concerned about trains on the east coast of Florida should stay or look for housing on the west coast.
The airport is not very busy so there isn't a lot of noise say like the Sarasota airport. The main runway crosses over the island for landings and takeoffs. A section of the island probably has the most "problems" with noise. There are some very expensive homes in the landing path, but it doesn't seem to concern those residents. Again, it is a small airport with a low volume of traffic.
Also, if you are a resident you must be aware of the reconstruction of one of the two bridges linking the mainland to the island? Vero Beach was faced with the decision of closing the bridge for reconstruction. The city has decided to keep the bridge open with only one lane available for traffic. This process will last for four years and will cause unbelievable traffic conditions to and on the island. Temporary traffic lights are being consider so people living on the island will be able get in out of the homes during construction. There has been some construction on A1A this summer which had caused some major traffic jams. Residents have had a difficult time accessing their home off A1A this summer. One can only image the traffic problems on the island for the next four years and during the snowbird season. Also, the main electrical line providing the majority of service to the island will suffer interruptions due to the bridge construction. We are hoping that problem will last for only four years, but if we get hit with storms during the four year construction period, the construction time will be longer.
Again, this only the observation of one Vero Beach resident. I am sure others might have a different perspective. The growth of Vero is causing increased traffic congestion since I have relocated here, but that is something the residents will have to accept.
Yeah a long time ago like a CENTURY. People are not spending MILLIONS on housing literally across the street from the railroad tracks to be annoyed. UP and DOWN the east coast.
My mother had a gorgeous Intracoastal front condo in Tequesta and the driveway entrance was ON Route 1. We never gave trains a second thought. I'd live there in a quick minute but it's WAY out of my budget. Around $850K for 1300 SF.
You can repeat these FACTS until you're blue in the face and some people just won't listen and don't even live here. Not to mention there are endless threads/posts with the same old thing.
It's like when new people arrive and say OH I'm not worried about hurricanes because I'm a mile or two inland.
Yeah a long time ago like a CENTURY. People are not spending MILLIONS on housing literally across the street from the railroad tracks to be annoyed. UP and DOWN the east coast.
My mother had a gorgeous Intracoastal front condo in Tequesta and the driveway entrance was ON Route 1. We never gave trains a second thought. I'd live there in a quick minute but it's WAY out of my budget. Around $850K for 1300 SF.
You can repeat these FACTS until you're blue in the face and some people just won't listen and don't even live here. Not to mention there are endless threads/posts with the same old thing.
It's like when new people arrive and say OH I'm not worried about hurricanes because I'm a mile or two inland.
Your observations are very true. I do find it interesting when someone who doesn't reside in the area starts posting information about the area as fact. I feel sorry for anyone who would base their decision to purchase property on someone who is not a resident of the area. Anyone making a decision to move to a new area needs to explore the area before making a purchase. Relying on a message board to make a decision is not reliable.
It reminds of a poster on another city-data forum who was offering advice on the NC area. She was always responding to questions on areas which were about 100 miles from her home and she had never physically visited the locations. She used Internet searches to provide observations for people who were asking for information. It was similar to the blind leading the blind.
I post in a few other forums, & look in on this one occasionally, & am dissappointed by the lack of activity.
I have family in this forum area, and am considering 32963 as our next stop.
Is anyone out there?
I've noticed how quiet it is too in this forum. I moved to the area 3 years ago and this forum isn't even close to being as active at the forum where I used to live. I wish there were more people posting.
Time for my monthly check-in to this quiet forum. Maybe the locals don't want outsiders to find out how nice & quiet this area is, & how few tourists they get.
Maybe not much is changing, so nothing new to discuss.
See you next month.
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